The Light Side: It’s Okay to Be Excited About Star Wars

“OMG The Force Awakens trailer was OMG SO GOOD!” “Nah, it was lame!” “Lame? What about that lightsaber claymore thing? So awesome!” “That was the worst bit!”

Sound familiar?

Have you ever loved a franchise and wanted to love the next instalment but decided not to get your hopes up so you didn’t get let down? Is the glass half full or half empty? Is 7.5/10 a game you’d play or not worth it because it’s not a 9.5?

Today we discuss the idea of being happy and excited about something you want to love, even if it’s not exactly as you expected.

I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan I know, but the Force Awakens trailer has gotten me incredibly excited. I love the epic fantasy of Star Wars, the fun and adventure and grand settings. Updating the beloved franchise for a new generation is very exciting. I can’t wait for December 2015 :D :D

Yet, there are dissenters – mostly around the new lightsaber design. (Which I found out is not actually new.)

I see people picking the trailer apart. Mostly the lightsaber, though. Sometimes that’s awesome. Some of the discussions lead to funny photoshops…

It’s all good if you’re having fun, enjoying the trailer and looking forward to the film.

Where it starts becoming a problem is when people can’t enjoy what they want to enjoy.

It’s often true the biggest fans are the harshest critics. Those who love something the most react the worst at the little details that don’t match their exact vision.

You guys remember Dr. Becker? I recall one episode where he mentioned he never gets his hopes up because then he’s either pleasantly surprised or right.

It makes a certain amount of sense, on the surface. But what does an attitude like that do to you?

If you’re never looking forward to anything, never believing anything will be good, when you find something good, the reality often is that you enjoy it less rather than more. You’ve become jaded. You’ve closed yourself off to enjoyment and happiness.

I know some people who, no matter how good something is, they can only seem to focus on the negatives. If there’s a solid silver cloud with a tiny grey lining, the grey is all they can see. And it’s black, not grey. It’s horrible. It’s the worst. It ruins everything else ever forever.

And you know what? It makes the next “bad” thing even worse. Because they already have a negative attitude on board and if a trailer could get them worked up, then having to do some chores or encountering a little bump in a project will be a huge deal because everything already sucks! And the next thing after that will build on it, too, if you only focus on the negatives.

Is that any way to live?

Instead, what if you allow yourself to enjoy?
What if you let go of the jaded attitude and embrace childlike wonder?
What if you let yourself be happy and excited for the good things?

Do you want to be like Grumpy Cat, or do you want to be like these kids with a Nintendo 64 and Kristen Bell with a sloth?

It’s okay to enjoy things. You’re allowed to be happy.

Doesn’t that sound nice?

Recommended Watching

Just before posting this article, two awesome videos appeared online talking about exactly this.

First up, we have Stephen Colbert – “the original Star Wars fan” – showing that childlike excitement I was talking about. He also explains how the lightsaber could work.

Here, Colbert uses his geek powers to celebrate the trailer and show how the things shown in it are possible, rather than tearing down something he loves. Look how excited he is!

Then, there’s this comic from Kris Straub of chainsawsuit.com that accompanies a funny and thoughtful video by Mikey Neuman about the Jurassic World and Star Wars trailers.

In the video, Mikey discusses the same idea I’m talking about in this article. And his conclusion matches my article’s heading nearly exactly: “I think it’s okay to be excited about a Star Wars film again”.

Open Chat

What do you get super excited about? When have you realised you were feeling jaded and just let it go? When have you embraced your childlike sense of wonder?